Since 1990 ICE-SAR, Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue, has hosted a search and rescue conference called Rescue. Through the years the conference has developed and grown into a full blown SAR conference with 50-60 interesting lectures. All information here.
A small glacier outburst flood has begun in Skaftá River
Glacier outburst flood has begun in Skaftá River in the Southeast part of Iceland. The flood water may run over Skaftártunga road (208 and F208) by Hvammur and the road in Skaftárdalur might get blocked. It is also possible that the water will go across the road to Hólaskjól on Fjallabaksleið North.
The source of Skaftá river is in Skaftárjökull, an Eastern glacier of Vatnajökull by Langisjór. People are advised not to be near the source of Skaftá river or the lowlands along it due to contamination by hydrogen sulphide, a gas which can damage the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract.
2010 - An Extremely Busy Year for ICE-SAR´s Rescue Teams
The year that just ended will be remembered for a long time within the Icelandic rescue teams. The year 2010 had just started when an earthquake struck Haiti with devastating concequences and a massive destruction to buildings and loss of lives. The ICE-SAR's international urban SAR team went to Haiti and participated in search and rescue work in the capital Port Au Prince and surrounding towns.
In March a volcanic eruption started in Fimmvorduhals in South of Iceland. It was a small eruption but it lasted for a month and attracted a lot of tourists, some of which put themselves and others in danger. For several weeks the teams in the area were extremely busy, guarding the area and rescueing people from the eruption site. Teams from other parts of Iceland were called in to assist. When the eruption ended about a month after it started everyone was relieved. But that did not last for long since only two days later anoter volcanic eruption started in the area, this time in Eyjafjallajokull. The Eyjafjallajokull SAR operation lasted for another month and again SAR teams from all over Iceland were called to the scene to assist those in the area.
All this in addition to our usual 1200-1500 callouts a year, helping people on land and at sea. The year 2010 gave ICE-SAR's teams some valuable experience and all the rescuers returned from SAR missions safe and sound.
Only six weeks to go - Rescue 2010 in Iceland –register now!
An international Search and Rescue conference
Rescue 2010 will be held October 22.-24. 2010, following pre-conference courses and seminars.
Participants can choose from about 60 different lectures during the three day conference.
Interesting “extra curricular” activities
An official dinner at the Blue Lagoon (
www.bluelagoon.is) and a SuperJeep tour to the scene of the latest volcanic eruptions.
Rescue 2010 Expo - Trade show
Parateck - Rescue support systems , air lifting bags power impact tools and fire fighting tools and special mission tender. www.paratech.com
Taiga - Garments for rescue- and ambulance workers. www.taiga.se
Gore Tex (W.L. Gore & Associates) - Gore tex, Crosstech. www.gore-tex.com
Arctic Trucks - Arctic Trucks specializes in modifying 4WD vehicles for use in rough environment. www.arctictruck.is , www.arctictrucks.com
Conterra - Medication Kits, Rescue Packs and disaster management. www.conterra-inc.com
…and many more
Lots of exciting lectures
At the conference website you can see many of the interesting lectures which will be offered at Rescue 2010. Lecturers will come from all over the world, all experts in their field. Icelandic lectures will be translated into English for your convenience. See more here: http://www.icesar.com/category.aspx?catID=300
The opening lecture, "Haiti Earthquake" will be presented by Gisli Olafsson and Olafur Loftsson
In this talk, Gisli Olafsson and Olafur Loftsson, who lead the ICE-SAR response to the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, will talk about the earthquake, ICE-SAR’s involvement and lessons learned from the mission
Ash from Eyjafjallajökull volcano for sale - procceedings donated to ICE-SAR
By now more than $7500 have been donated to ICE-SAR, the organization of Icelandic rescue teams, whose volunteers have been working nonstop in the vicinity of the volcano
The sales demand is steady yet – total sales heading towards 500 jars
The volcanic ashes have now been delivered to buyers in 65 countries worldwide.
The ashes from Eyjafjallajökull volcano, on sale at nammi.is since the eruption grounded flights all over Europe, is popular as ever and by now over $7500 have been donated to ICESAR (
www.icesar.is), the non-profit organization of rescue teams that have been providing security services and assisting in cleaning and other tasks in the farmlands near the volcano. Nammi.is has from the beginning donated all sales proceedings from the volcanic ashes to ICESAR and hopes to generate income for the volunteers of the organization for the duration of the eruption and beyond.
Already, close to 500 jars containing the volcanic ashes of Eyjafjallajökull have been sold and delivered to 65 different countries worldwide. To increase its service nammi.is has now begun offering a package with a collection of 10 jars with ash samples taken with an interval of 1 kilometer around the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. These different samples can carry tremendous amount of information for University laboratories, aircraft manufacturers etc. Finally, nammi.is now offers the ash also in a bigger package for those who crave a larger sample – a unit of 1,7 kilograms.
All further information available through Mr Sofus Gustavsson, general manager of nammi.is. Please contact +354 660 1770 or
sofus@nammi.is.
News Release: 19. April 2010, 06:30
Large amounts of volcanic ash have fallen in the area from Ásólfsskáli to Sólheimajökull during the night. Work is in progress to close off National route 1(Suðurlandsvegur) from Markarfljótsbrú as far as Sólheimajökull. Visibility has been at around 400 to 500m, reducing to 100m in some areas. This morning there were reports from Þorvaldseyri that there was almost no visibility at all.
From midnight last night steady northly winds blew over the eruption, which according to informtion from the Icelandic Met Office, should continue today and therefore present the possibility of ash fall in the area under the glacier and even over Vestmannaeyjar.
Scientists and Civil Protection Operations staff will be availible for interviews and press enquiries at Hvolsvöllur and Skógarhlið, Reykjavík, between 08.00 and 09.00 hrs today and tomorrow.
Situation report at 21:00 hrs, 17.04.2010
According to reports the eruption has remained stable. The volcanic plume reaches a height of 6-9 km drifting to the south. The volcanic fissure is about 1 km long and stretches from north to south on the southwest part of the top crater. In the seat of the volcano about 100-150 million cubic meters of the glacier have melted. This amounts to approximately 10-15% of the ice that was in the seat of the volcano. Calderas in the ice are big enough to cause the ash to build up and form craters, separating the ice from the lava flow. Ice is now melting slowly, while enough water still reaches the magma to allow explosions to continue. Floods have not occurred since last night. The weather is good in southern Iceland and the view of the volcano is good. The volcano has produced large amounts of ash and there have been reports of copious ash fall to the south of Eyjafjallajökull. For a period of time the ash fall in the area between Núpur and Skógar was serious enough to reduce visibility to less than a hundred metres. No floods have come from the glacier over the last 24 hours.
Domestic flights have been more or less on schedule, although there have been no flights to Vestmannaeyjar islands. According to a staff member in aviation control in Vestmannaeyjar, there has been no ash fall yet (13:40). Most airports in Europe are closed, and flights are only possible in southern Europe. According to volcanic ash cloud forecasts this will not change greatly in the near future. National Route 1 has been closed on the stretch from Hvolsvöllur to Skógar. The road in Fljótshlíð has been closed east of Smáratún. There has been constant traffic of tourists in the area and cars were allowed to park in fields in Fljótshlíð where the view of the volcano is good. Landsbjörg rescue teams blocked roads in six locations today and manned a monitoring post on Þórólfsfell. Rescue teams have also travelled between farms to monitor the situation. In the area there are 160 people from 12 rescue organisations. Three scientific flights were conducted over the volcano today.
A workgroup on psychosocial support convened in Hella this morning. According to information from the meeting there have been no special cases of health problems related to the volcanic eruption. 112 received few phone calls from the area. Health authorities held a meeting at the Civil Protection Co-ordination Centre this morning together with the representatives of health workers at the coordination centre. The meeting decided to prepare simple instructions on the use of masks in case of ash fall. It was proposed that ash fall forecasts should be broadcast with the weather forecast on television. To this end a request was delivered to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Representatives from the tourism industry convened today with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. According to information released in this meeting around 1800 passengers are waiting for flights in Iceland. These passengers are all comfortably accommodated and the situation is calm. The waiting passengers have been offered guest passes giving them free access to museums and swimming pools. This measure is very popular among tourists. There are no passengers waiting at Leifsstöð Icelandic International Airport.
Roughly speaking, up to 90% of Iceland, including the Reykjavik area, have not been affected by the eruption in any direct way. All infrastructure of the country is unaffected, except roads in the flooding area below the glacier.
Preparations for the establishment of a media centre at the Rescue Centre in Skógarhlíð have been ongoing for the past 24 hours. At the media centre there will be facilities for media people, internet access, computers and constant flow of information from the The National Emergency Coordination Centre. Increased service to foreign media will be emphasized. Ash fall has caused severe difficulties for European air traffic, drawing intense attention to the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Many foreign journalists have arrived in the country.
A northwest wind is forecast in the area of the volcano tonight. Tomorrow Sunday the wind is expected to blow at 5-13 m/s from the west and southwest. Ash fall is expected on the stretch from eastern Eyjafjöll to Mýrdalssandur, while the region around Mýrdalsjökull is expected to be most heavily afflicted.
The Head of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management attended two teleconferences today, one with civil protection authorities in Europe and another with representatives of civil defence institutions in the Nordic countries. In these meetings European nations were informed about the situation in Iceland and the possible development of the volcanic eruption. The European nations also provided information about their main activities. The countries differ in their approaches to the situation. The representatives of the European nations sent their greetings to the Icelandic people.
Note to the public from Department of Civil Protection
Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management emphasise that Eyjafjallajökull glacier and the foothills around the area is closed to the public. Local changes in wind direction combined with heavy ash fall and lightening around the ash plume create hazardous conditions. In addition a closed area of 1 km radius area around the eruption site at Fimmvörðuháls is in force. All travel in and to these areas, both on foot and by vehicle, is banned. Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management caution against any travel on and around Mýrdalsjökull.
The volcanic eruption under Eyjafjallajökull glacier has shown signs of increasing activity throughout the morning. Significant amounts of ash have fallen in inhabited areas to the south of the glacier and extending as far to the west as Sauðhúsvellir, close to Skogará, and to Mýrdalssandur in the east. Ash fall has significantly affected visibility in localised areas to the south of the glacier and around Núpur making travel by vehicle impossible for a while. Lightening has been reported in the volcano’s ash plume.
The Police are enforcing travel restrictions in and around the area. National Route 1 is closed to traffic between Hvolsvöllur and Skógará. Route 261, Fljótshlíðarvegur is closed from Smáratún. Police report heavy traffic towards Hvolsvöllur. Police point out that, unlike the eruption Fimmvörðuháls, the eruption under the Eyjafjallajökull glacier cannot be considered a tourist destination. The situation in and around the area of the glacier is hazardous.
An information centre for the general public has been opened in the Community centre Hvoll located on National Route 1 in Hvolsvöllur and the medical services have been reinforced with men and medical materials. Also, a team is presently working on a plan to provide psychosocial support services for local residents.
A community meeting for the residents of Vík is planned for 15.00 hrs today and will be held in Leikskálar.
Practically all flights over mid, north and eastern Europe have been cancelled today.The VAAC (Volcanic Ash Advisory Center) advisory forecast until midnight tonight indicates that this situation will remain unchanged for the time being. The volcano has not effected the possibility to fly to and from America from Iceland. Scheduled domestic flights have continued with the exception of flights to Vestmannaeyjar. Volcanic ash is not expected to effect flights to Egilsstaður today. Information on the effects of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption on air traffic can be found at www.flugstodir.is.
17.4.2010 Police advisory: 08.40 hrs
The Police in Hvolsvöllur advise people travelling in the south of Iceland that National Route 1 is closed to traffic between Hvolsvöllur and Skógará. Route 261, Fljótshlíðarvegur is closed from Smáratún. Because of the possibility of immediate evacuation of the area being ordered, the Police instruct tourists and travellers to respect these restrictions and under no circumstances travel in the restricted area.
Access to the Eyjafjallajökull glacier and the foothills around the area is restricted to the public, as is a 1 km radius area around the eruption site at Fimmvörðuháls. All travel in and to these areas, both on foot and by vehicle, is banned.
Considerable ash fall is reported in the area of Núpur and Vík. It is likely that the ash fall will drift to the west and extend as far as Vestmannaeyja.
The immediate area adjacent to Eyjafjallajökull glacier is impassable to traffic due to severely limited visibility. In Núpur ash fall has severly restricted visibility and this has affected travel. The ash plume over the volcano is very high and is visible from a long distance.
An information centre for the general public has been opened in the Community centre Hvoli in Hvolsvöllur.
Check out Civil Protection Department's website for more information,
www.almannavarnir.is
Red Cross mass care centres in Heimaland, Vík and in Kirkjubæjarklaustur open
Red Cross mass care centres in Heimaland, Vík and in Kirkjubæjarklaustur have been opened for those residents in the areas affected by the ash fall and who wish to temporarily evacuate their homes. The local emergency centre does not consider it necessary to order an evacuation of the area in response to the ash fall at this moment in time, but feels that these services may be useful to some families.
There is considerable ash fall resulting from the volcanic eruption under the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The ash that is falling is composed of fine and course particles. The wind direction and other meteorological conditions have an impact on where the ash falls to earth.
The most common effects are.
* Respiratory effects: Common short-term symptoms include:
* Nasal irritation and discharge (runny nose).
*
Throat irritation and sore throat, sometimes accompanied by dry coughing.
*
Breathing becomes uncomfortable.
*
People with pre-existing chest complaints may develop severe bronchitic symptoms which last some days beyond exposure to ash (for example, hacking cough, production of sputum, wheezing, or shortness of breath).
*
Airway irritation for people with asthma or bronchitis; common complaints of people with asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing.
Eye irritation is a common health effect as pieces of grit can cause painful scratches in the front of the eye and conjunctivitis. Contact lens wearers need to be especially ware of this problem.
* Eye symptoms: Common short-term symptoms include:
* Eyes feeling as though there are foreign particles in them.
* Eyes becoming painful, itchy or bloodshot.
*
Sticky discharge or tearing
*
Corneal abrasions or scratches.
*
Acute conjunctivitis or inflammation due to the presence of ash, which leads to redness, burning of the eyes, and photosensitivity.
What you can do to protect yourself against volcanic ash,
* Use a mask when outside, and it is also recommended to wear protective clothing.
*
If a mask is not available the use a cloth over the mouth and nose to prevent inhalation of larger particles.
*
Use protective goggles.
*
Children and adults with respiratory problems should remain indoors. Houses should be well heated so that an overpressure in the house maintained. This reduces the likelihood that ash seeps into the house.
The ICE-SAR team operates as a special unit within the Icelandic Association of Search and Rescue. It consist of 35 persons, all volunteers, and is on the response list of the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit and is a registered team with UN OCHA/INSARAG. The team went to its first international mission in 1999 when it responded to earthquakes inTurkey. In 2003 the team responded to earthquakes in Algeria and in beginning of 2004 the team went to Morocco following earthquakes in that country. The team participated in the organization of a medical relief flight from Thailand to Sweden following the Tsunami in 2004.
The Icelandic team is one of less than 15 teams worldwide that has received IEC Classification from INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) under the United Nations umbrella.
20.01
Leaving their camps behind in Haiti
The Icelandic international search and rescue team was working all day yesterday in the rubble of the Montana hotel in Port au Prince where the UN staff and their families were staying. The SAR-team was working until 2 am (07:00 Icelandic local time) when it headed back to camp where the team members are now resting.
Today the Icelandic international search and rescue team will pack up the things that it will take back home but a part of the equipment will be left behind as it will be used in the Haiti aid relief. A large part of the Icelandic international search and rescue team´s camp will be left behind as it is used as a nerve center for the international search and rescue teams. As the houses in the area are uninhabitable and unsafe it is necessary that all the planning and overall management is carried out in tents.
19.01
Searching in the rubble of an UN hotel
The Icelandic international search and rescue team will today search in the rubble of the Montana hotel in Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti. UN employees working in Haiti and their families were staying at the hotel when the earthquake struck the island. It is believed that around 200 people are still buried under the rubble but not likely that someone is still alive. The Icelandic international search and rescue team will be working with the same American team as they have been for the past days.
According to information from the Icelandic international search and rescue team it was an unanimous decision of its members to volunteer for this difficult assignment, that is to search for UN staff and their families.
Today is the team´s last working day in Haiti and tomorrow it will prepare its trip back home to Iceland.
18.01
Searching in the city centre of Port au Prince
Today the Icelandic search and rescue team has been working in the city centre of Port au Prince along with an American team. The team was assigned to a specific search area that is located next to the poorest area of the capital. The Icelandic international search and rescue team didn´t have security for a while so it went to the Amercian Embassy in Haiti to wait until security service was available. They are searching for indications if and then where it is possible to find people alive in the rubble. So far the search hasn´t been successful.
Iceland is now preparing to transfer the team back home and it is expected that the Icelandic search and rescue team will arrive by the end of this week.
17.01
Attended to injured people
Yesterday the Icelandic international SAR team conducted operations in the city of Léogane, west of Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti. The plan was to remain in the area overnight, but this was reconsidered and the team returned to camp yesterday. The situation in Léogane is extremely critical, the team searched through the rubble of collapsed buildings but found no survivors. There was a large number of injured people in the city and the team provided medical assistance. The team also sent out a request for international medical response units, which will arrive in the area today.
Today the team has been assigned the task of searching for survivors in collapsed buildings in the city centre of Port au Prince in co-operation with an American team which the Icelandic team has worked with before. There are no further details available regarding today’s assignments.
All things considered, the members of the Icelandic team are in good condition. When the urban SAR team returns to camp there is purified water available for showering, and it is ensured that the SAR workers are adequately fed and hydrated.
ICE-SAR and the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs are currently making preparations for the return of the team back to Iceland. However, it remains unknown when the team's work in Haiti will be over, but the rule of thumb is that urban SAR teams cease operations 48 hours after the last rescue of a survivor in the disaster area.
17.01
On their way to Léogane A team made up of 26 members of the Icelandic international SAR team is now heading for the city of Léogane, which is situated some 40 kilometres west of Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti. The Icelandic team travels with a team from the UK and another team from Qatar, and together they form a group of about 100 people. This group is prepared for a 48 hour stay in Leogane.
Léogane is a town of 134,000 inhabitants and it is located at the epicentre of the earthquake that occurred on last Tuesday. The situation there is believed to be extremely critical and up to 80-90 % of all buildings of the town are thought to have been reduced to rubble. Up until this time, no international response units have been to this location.
The town had many concrete buildings and it is therefore likely that there are survivors trapped underneath the rubble who can still be saved.
UN peacekeeping troops will accompany the group and provide security for the search and rescue workers.
17.01
ICE-SAR preparing for SAR mission to LéoganeThe Icelandic international search and rescue team is now preparing for today’s assignments in Haiti. The team will probably be working in a town that is located some 40 kilometres west of the capital Port au Prince. So far no international SAR personnel has been to this town, which is much closer to the epicentre of the earthquake than the capital and it is estimated that 80-90% of all buildings have collapsed there.
The Icelandic team was called into camp early yesterday so the SAR workers got a full night’s rest for the first time since they left for Haiti on last Tuesday.
There have been incidents where international response units have not been able to bring all their supplies due to complications in travelling to Haiti and are therefore lacking necessary items. The Icelandic team has therefore shared its food and water with other SAR teams, but more supplies are expected to arrive before they run out. The Icelandic team is intended to be self-sufficient with regard to camp facilities, supplies and medical aid for 7-10 days as it is not acceptable to make demands on the weakened infrastructure of countries that have been severely impacted by natural disasters.
16.01
Returned early to camp
The Icelandic team has returned to camp after a hard day, and the SAR workers will now have a welcome moment of rest after having only slept for 4-6 hours in the past few nights.
The tasks of today turned out to be more than was expected earlier, and the team searched through the rubble of a collapsed hotel, a bank, and a school and university along with the surrounding houses.
All SAR teams are now being called back to base. The reason that this is done so early in the day is principally that there is a great deal of people going about in the streets of Port au Prince and it is not thought to be safe to conduct search and rescue operations for too long in order to ensure that the teams will get back into camp before dark.
Four members of the Icelandic SAR team are currently on a reconnaissance flight in order to assess possible tasks for tomorrow, on the southern shore of Haiti.
16.01
Searching for survivors 
Today the Icelandic international search and rescue team will search for survivors in the rubble of the collapsed St. James Hotel in Port au Prince in Haiti. The odds of finding anyone alive are regrettably low due to the time that has passed since the earthquake occurred, in light of the fact that in cases of natural disasters such as this the majority of survivors are rescued in the first 48 hours. The team will take on this considerable task along with a Spanish SAR team that is equipped with search dogs, while Indian peace keeping troops will provide security. This task will probably take all day.
A member of the Icelandic international SAR team has furthermore taken on the role of director of the camp where the international SAR teams, a total of 8-900 personnel, are based, and two of the five people who work in the co-ordination centre for SAR activities are from the Icelandic team.
16.01
Haitians are grateful and friendly
The Icelandic search and rescue team is at this moment preparing for morning assignments in Haiti, where the time it is now almost 7 a.m. The team is in good condition and ready to take on the tasks of the day. The exact nature of those tasks is still to be determined.
News reports from Haiti have included footage of screaming locals waving machetes, and many people are therefore worried about the safety of the search and rescue workers. Even though the situation in Haiti is quite critical, the Icelandic team has been received with nothing but gratitude and friendliness on the part of the local population and has not seen anything resembling that which is shown in foreign media.
Yesterday an assessment was done of a large number of rubble sites, but no sign of life was detected. The Haitians have been very understanding when the SAR team has had to leave the scene without finding anybody alive, and the Icelandic team has met with no harassment or interference.
The Icelanders are still in charge of the international SAR camp, and are also involved in the co-ordination center for the activities of the international SAR teams, which is located in the Icelandic camp.
15.01
ICE-SAR searched two areas with USA2 team
The urban search and rescue team of the Icelandic international SAR team has returned to camp near the airport of Port au Prince and will rest until dawn. Today the team has worked with the USA2 team (Florida Task force One from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue) in searching for survivors in two areas south of the airport in Port au Prince. At sunset all search and rescue teams were recalled to the camp, for at present it is not possible to ensure the safety of search and rescue workers overnight. UN peace-keeping troops that were in Haiti at the time when the earthquake occurred have accompanied the SAR teams on their assignments and provided security for them. The peace-keeping troops have now been active for 60 hours straight and are sorely in need of rest.
The Icelandic team forms part of the UN urban search and rescue force, and the UN command centre for SAR operations is currently located in a tent provided by the Icelandic team. One member of the Icelandic international SAR team now forms part of a five-person UN command team that is in charge of co-ordinating the activities of search and rescue teams. Since the Icelandic team was one of the first SAR units to arrive in Haiti after the earthquake, the members of the team were involved in the overall co-ordination provided by the UN in the form of so-called UNDAC activities. Now a large UNDAC team from the UN has arrived and taken charge of those activities.
People are still known to be alive under the rubble in the hills south of the airport, where about 90% of all buildings were destroyed. UN reconnaissance teams have been to the towns of Carrefour and Léogane, located to the west of Port au Prince, and according to their assessment about 80%-90% of all buildings have collapsed there.
At present there are 23 SAR teams in Port au Prince, totalling 1067 SAR workers and 114 search dogs.
New photos from the Icelandic international SAR team have been put up on www.icesar.com.
15.01
New photographs
Click on the link above to see new photos from Haiti
15.01
Works with an American team
The International Icelandic SAR-team will today work with an American team at search and rescue in the ruins in Haiti. It is not quite clear at the moment what the project will be. The situation of the team is quite good; all things considered its members had a six hour rest last night having worked exceedingly hard for hours yesterday in rescuing the third woman from the ruins of the shopping centre. A part of the team worked last night, receiving other International rescue teams that arrived in Haiti and organising the camping area inside the airport perimeter. The centre for conformation, from where the projects are administered, is located in the Icelandic camp and they will participate in its staffing.
14.01
The Icelandic urban SAR team rescues two women
We have just received the news that that the Icelandic urban SAR team has rescued two women from the ruins of a four-story building at the Caribbean Market in Port au Prince. The women, aged 25-30 are not severely injured and are being treated by the rescue team, for example by giving them water while waiting for ambulance transport from the location.
14.01
The Icelandic urban SAR team is searching the ruins of a four-story building
The Icelandic urban SAR team is now on its first rescue mission in the ruins at Haiti. Two rescue groups of the team are now searching the ruins of a four-story building/shopping mall at the Caribbean Market, a crowded shopping centre in Port au Prince. It is believed that three persons are still alive in those ruins. A base operations team is now assisting in the erection a camp and coordination centre at the airport together with a Search and Rescue team from Belgium. The team is also installing telecommunication facilities and other equipment. Shortage of fuel did cause some difficulties but those problems have now been solved. The shortage of other resources has caused other difficulties, e.g. the team is in needed of timber for support and also gas and oxygen.
In addition to the Icelandic team the American team has also begun rescue operations in the damaged area but at this time only three other teams have arrived, i.e. the American, the Belgian and a team from China.
14.01
Massive destruction and loss of lives in Haiti
The Icelandic urban SAR team has started search and rescue work in Haiti where a massive earthquake occurred two days ago. Last night the team members arrived at the United Nations headquarters where the installation of base camp and control centre is planned. A huge number of people were in the streets and parks all over the city. After driving around the city the team concluded that there was no area where the safety of the team would not be threatened. The United Nations can not provide armed guards at this moment and therefore the team decided to go back to the airport where the team members slept outside, accompanied by the noise of airplanes that were landing and taking off.
A Camp will be erected within the airport perimeter today.
Members of the team say that a tremendous loss of lives has occurred in the city, every second house is demolished and consequently much work remains to be done. Much confusion reigns since the city’s police force as other official bodies have not been functioning for the last 24 hours.
When this is written the team has rested and is planning of tasks of the day. The team is in excellent health, its moral is high and it is prepared to deal with the difficult tasks ahead.
The Icelandic group was the first International rescue team to arrive and its quick response has been noted all over the world.
13.01
The Icelandic urban SAR team has landed at Haiti
The Icelandic urban SAR team has arrived at Haiti. An aircraft from Icelandair, transporting the team, landed in Port au Prince half an hour ago. The team is now unloading the aircraft. This is done manually since there is no equipment available at the airport. The team leaders will meet the representatives of the United Nations and cooperate with them. All work has do be done quickly and the team needs to find a save location to install a base camp since it will be dark in 2-3 hours in Haiti, where the local time is now 16:30. Complete security of the team must be ensured at all times.
When flying over the city an immense destruction could be seen as well as people that had gathered together in open spaces. Domestic airport workers celebrated the arrival of the group and thanked it.
Landsbjoerg, the Voluntary Search and Rescue organisation want to thank the staff of Icelandair for its excellent assistance and service towards the team en route to its destination.
The picture was taken at the airport of Port au Prince when aircraft was recently landed.
13.01
The Icelandic urban SAR team has now left Boston, en route to Haiti
The Icelandic search-and-rescue team left Boston at 17:00 hours where the aircraft landed to refuel for the flight to Haiti. The arrival there is estimated at 21:00 Icelandic time.
It is now clear that the Icelandic team will be among the first to arrive at the area. So far no international search-and-rescue teams have arrived but a team from the United States is expected to arrive at a similar time as the Icelandic team. For this reason, the Icelandic team will most likely start preparing for the arrival of teams from other countries, install telecommunication and an operation base camp. It is also necessary to assess the situation, to see where there is need for assistance and the location of the base camp.
13.01
Rescue mission in Haiti
The Icelandic urban SAR team has been called out for search and rescue work in Haiti where a massive earthquake occurred. The situation in the country is bad and it is expected that hundreds or even thousands have perished. Now the Icelandic team is loading its equipment to an aircraft which will take of at 10:00. The team will fly to the United States and from there to Haiti or the Dominican Republic where the estimated time of landing is at 19:00 Icelandic time.
The Icelandic search-and-rescue team will be among the first to arrive at the scene. The team has been working all night to prepare the mission in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among other things, the foreign minister, Mr. Össur Skarphéðinsson, visited the team's headquarters at Skógarhlíð this night where the team had gathered for preparation and a medical inspection. A representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will accompany the team to Haiti.
13.01
The Icelandic urban SAR team at an alert status
After the earthquake that occurred in Haiti last night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided in cooperation with the Icelandic Association of Search and Rescue to offer the assistance of the Icelandic International SAR team, that has specialized in rescue missions in ruins. The team is now at an alert status.
Terrible devastation has occurred in Haiti and it is feared the many people have perished. Some 2 million people live in the area where the earthquake occurred. Many international search-and-rescue teams have offered assistance and are awaiting the response from the officials in Haiti. While waiting, the Icelandic SAR team is preparing for the transportation to Haiti. The team consists of 35 rescuers. On board are 10 tons of special equipment for rescuing missions in ruins, 3 tons of water, tents for the team members, high-tech telecommunication equipment and equipment for cleaning water. The team is self-sufficient for 7 days.
The Foreign Minister, Mr. Össur Skarphéðinsson , visited the headquarters of the Icelandic Association of Search and Rescue this night and was briefed on the situation.